This statement is in response to the Dandenong Star Journal newspaper’s article Council cleanout published on Tuesday 31 October 2023 where it was written that “Council expected to outsource aged care and disability services – a move which was recently out for public consultation”.
This statement is misleading, and I apologise for any confusion caused to our hardworking Council staff, our Community Care clients and their families, and our dedicated community panel members.
It is important to clarify that Council is not taking any action to alter our service at this point. Our Community Care services will not change before June 2024, nor without a Council resolution.
Given the Commonwealth Government has introduced a new way to deliver and access aged services, and the Victorian State Government is also reviewing the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC-PYP) for people with a disability, Council has chosen to undertake extensive community consultation to understand what aged care and disability services we should deliver in the future.
Council’s comprehensive community consultation process has received over 1300 responses, from community members, clients, staff, local providers and other key stakeholders. Genuine care and support has also been available to staff and clients throughout the process.
To our knowledge, we are the only Council that has committed to such a comprehensive community consultation to help determine its future role in aged care and disability services. This is testament to Council’s commitment to genuine community consultation and the importance of this decision for our community, now and into the future.
The outcome of this extensive review process will help inform Council’s future role in delivering aged care and disability services in response to identified community need, with the aim to keep our older residents safe, healthy and connected.
Forty (40) dedicated community panel members met for hours on Wednesday 25 October, Saturday 28 October and will do so again on Saturday 11 November to consider the extensive community feedback Council has received on this issue and to consider the analysis by experts in the field. The community panel will then decide on the best potential options for future service delivery for clients throughout Greater Dandenong and provide their informed recommendation to Council.
My fellow Councillors and I look forward to receiving the community panel’s findings soon to help us make an informed decision to best meet the future needs of our community in aged care and disability services.
On behalf of my fellow Councillors, we thank our community for their considered and important feedback on this issue. We are committed to working with our community to build and provide a healthy, active and engaged community for people of all ages.
Cr Jim Memeti
Dandenong Ward